Nomad Manual

BLUEPRINTS FOR A NOMADIC LIFESTYLE

Urban Nomad

Inspiration

INSPIRATION In the late 1940s a young design student in Chicago named Ken Isaacs was confronted by a serious shelter problem. Needing housing for himself and his new wife as well as enough space to carry out his work but just barely able to afford a tiny two-room city apartment, Isaacs needed a way to get more practical use from limited space. With a leap of imagination that anticipated the Lofting movement that would come some time later, he devised a novel home-made structure of bolt-together wooden parts which organized the one main room of his apartment into a two level set of small stacked spaces of specialized function, exploiting the full volume of the limited room space. This Living Structure, as Isaacs came to call it, combined lounge, office/study, bedroom and storage all into its one cubical frame structure, its furnishings all integrated and made from the same modular bolted-together 2x2 sticks and simple sheets of press-board. It was like a whole home intergated into a single piece of home-made furniture which could be spontaneously adapted to its inhabitants changing needs by simply rearranging its parts. This immediately drew the attention of other designers and was soon featured in a number of magazine article. Intrigued by the versatility of this structure, Isaacs was soon obsessed with adapting the concept to an infinite diversity of uses, evolving it into a standardized system of modular building he called Matrix which anyone could use to build just about anything. Thus was formed one of the key foundations for a brief but remarkable design movement that would eventually be known as the Urban Nomad movement.

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Urban Nomad

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Inspiration

The Urban Nomads were not designing static artifacts for their aesthetic value or novelty but rather were cultivating a new kind of vernacular technology -a system of DIY fabrication which could be freely employed by anyone with simple tools and materials. So when they shared the results of their design efforts it was in the manner of sharing DIY instructions, not objects. In essence, these people were the Open Source programmers of their day.

OPEN SOURCE

Isaacs spent decades spreading the word about Living Structures and the light living philosophy they embodied through seminars, articles, and courses conducted in design schools around the US. Simultaneously, he and his followers continued to experiment with an increasing diversity of applications, culminating in the development of what Isaacs referred to as Microhouses; tiny simple buildings based on a stressed-skin plywood structure and using an external support structure based on galvanized steel pipe joined with modular pipe-fittings. (such as today’s Kee Klamp products) The application of free-standing housing seems to have pushed the practical limits of the Matrix technology. Isaacs succeeded in creating a variety of very interesting structures but he was never able to devise any systems of weatherproofing which could withstand any extremes of climate or last for long periods. Likewise, his volumetric use of space tended to create habitats that would be fairly useless for the elderly or the disabled. Isaacs apparently did not consider this a setback. He intended Microhouses for a nomadic youth culture, not as anything which might compete with conventional housing.

Urban Nomad

Inspiration

THE URBAN NOMAD

The Urban Nomads were a scattered community of young designers who shared a common image of an emerging highly mobile and very sophisticated youth culture which sought liberty through simple technologies of selfsufficiency. It wasn’t a ‘back to the earth’ ideology based on recreating an agrarian lifestyle. It was about living light for the sake of mobility with a reliance on self-made artifacts made from common materials and industrial cast-offs for the sake of economy and efficiency, the off-the-shelf products of the consumer culture simply being impractical -too expensive, cumbersome, inefficient in their use of materials and space- for a nomadic lifestyle.

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Urban Nomad

Contemporary Context

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WHAT IS HOME?

Urban Nomad

Contemporary Context

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YURT Perhaps one of the most widely known semi-permanent structures is the Mongolian Yurt, or Ger. Such structures are built using a basic trellis structure covered in felt for insulation and weather-proof canvas. They are transported on horseback, and vary in size from eight feet in diameter upwards. They are large enough for whole families to live inside comfortably, and are substitutes for brick and mortar homes. Yurts have proven their dynamism through hundreds of years of testing, and are made from entirely recyclable and sustainable materials.

Urban Nomad

Contemporary Context

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COMPACT Compact Living is a key element of Nomadism. In order to carry your life around, your life must be more condensed. Items carried are neccessities, and hence the space required to live is lessened, more compact and ultimately, more portable. Indeed, for some, compact spaces are sometimes a neccessity in themselves. Air Hostesses need rest quarters on long haul flights, and enjoy an arrangement similar to a Japanese pod hotel. Workers and researchers in harsh environments (such as the antarctic) require structures that can withstand the weather conditions, and these tend to be small, such as the green pod here. Even entrepeneurs are making the most of compact spaces. Left, a hotel room built inside a large sewer pipe provides a compact and private space for guests.

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Contemporary Contect

PORTABILITY

Items must be chosen in terms of portability. This is a combination of both compact and lightweight items. Often, as with the bed to the left, the construction of an item is such that it may be packed into a small size during transportation, but can then be expanded for use. Below, a trolley system is used to aid the portability of larger items for an individual.

Urban Nomad

Contemporary Context

Choice of material is crucial. In 1963, the director of Heineken designed a bottle that, after use, could be used as a building brick. Sadly, the idea was never released into the public realm, but the concept could have changed the way we recycle goods. Innovative use of materials, recycled or otherwise, can help the urban nomad to maximize usibility, durability and packability.

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MATERIALS

Urban Nomad

Contemporary Context

MULTI-USE One way of reducing the weight, quantitiy and dynamics of items is to ensure that items have more than one possible use. A fine example of this is origami, where one square of paper can form any of thousands of different models. Shown here is the art of Furoshiki, where a single square of fabric utilised in various ways in order to wrap and carry objects of all different shapes and sizes. After use, the fabric is simply untied and unfolded back into a square, ready for another use. If this concept could be adopted more widely, luggage could hold an entirely different meaning.

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SPECIFICATION

Urban Nomad

Specification

It is my belief that a nomadic home built for the urban environment must fulfil the following specifications: It must be tranportable on foot, by one person, and hence must weigh no more than 25kg (based on EU regulations for load carrying in the workplace). One person must be able to contruct it up alone. It must be large enough for two people to move freely inside It must be inconspicuous in an urban landscape It must be adaptable, and make use of forgotten spaces such as corners or rooftops. It must be usable on an everyday basis, and hence must provide the means for basic needs such as cooking, washing, hygeine etc. It must provide a private space. It must be realtively cheap, so as to appeal to the target age range of 18-35 year olds. It must be fairly sustainable in its construction, and have a small carbon footprint; it must touch the earth lightly.

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Urban Nomad

Concept

INITIAL CONCEPT

Designed to fit into corners and other unusual spaces, this shelter has multiple configurations, ranging from a simple tube, a tent-like ridgeline shelter, or this wedge like tetrahedron. The habitant would sleep toward the low end of the shelter, and work, cook and relax in the portion with maximum headroom. The structure, made from a strong but light nylon could have an insert, as visualised to the right, which could contain pockets, hanging rails or insulation depending on the users needs. The structure needs no internal support, only a single tie off onto another structure, such as a nearby building or mast. If such a structure is not available, a single pole could be used as support. The shape of the shelter is not only structurally strong but would also deflect wind or adverse weather condtions with ease. The upper plane would be perfect for solar panels, mounted on the fabric, to gain maximum exposure to sunlight.

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Urban Nomad

Concept

CONCEPT MODEL

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A scale model of the nomadic shelter concept sketched previously. The centre image shows a configuration in which, still with only one fixing point, the shelter is able to have both front and back areas raised, with the front open to the environment. The shelter fits neatly into the corner space, with a protected rear entrance. The uppermost triangular plane of fabric could be used to harvest rainwater, hence providing the shelter with a water-source.

Urban Nomad

Concept

PROTOTYPE A full-scale prototpe, shown here situated on a rooftop sourcing power from a wind turbine. Rooftops serve the purposes of an Urban Nomad well, as they are largely unused spaces, and tend to be of some size. Not only this, but they are by default situated off the streets, and hence are sheltered from the problems one might encounter residing on the street. However, rooftop situations are not as sheltered from the weather, which (especially with this type of shelter) could prove problematic.

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Concept

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The exterior shape of this shelter defines the zoning of the internal space. At one end, the shelter is low and wide; a perfect sleeping space. In the middle, the shelter is of medium width and tall enough to sit; a workspace, then. Further toward the entrance, although narrower, the shelter is tall enough to stand fully; an entrance hall or showering area. Nearest the door one may sit or stand, though the space is only wide enough for one. This space may be used for general seating or perhaps a hygeine area. The central spine allows for items such as lamps to be fastened to the structure of the tent, and a variety of inner shells could be designed to suit the needs of each individual user, and to further differentiate zones within the tent.

INTERNAL SPACE

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Communications

A code system designed to assist Urban Nomads in sharing knowledge of their habitats with other Nomads. The code is decifered in the image to the left, while the linked image below will take you to a digital version of how the code might be used. Essentially, the white area is E-Paper, a digital screen with qualities much like paper. These will have an adhesive backing, and a chip allowing them to be wirelessly updated. Nomads will upload information about sites using their phone or over the internet, and the site host will then update the relevant information on the e-sticker, which will be stuck on a lampost or suchlike at the location in question. All a user need do is look at the sticker, and navigate its various screens to determine the suitability of a site.

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COMMUNICATIONS

Urban Nomad

WIFI

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Initial Aids

TOO MUCH/ ENOUGH A set of aids designed to help an individual condense their possessions into only the most necessary items, hence enabling them to become more nomadic, more easily. The ‘Too Much’ bin bags will display the message until all of the bags have been used (although the contents would hopefully be recycled, not thrown away). The ‘Enough’ boxes would come as a set, with different sized boxes for different sets of things. The box shown here is designed to contain just the right amount of clothing for one person. No more, no less. When the box is sufficiently full, the message, ‘Enough’, becomes apparent. Less want means less need, which in turn means one needs less money, hence one can work less and have more time for the important things in life.

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Catalyst

STIMULUS HERE

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THE NOMAD LECTURES A LECTURE SERIES SEEKING TO REDEFINE HOME 12 - 18th JULY AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS

As with any social movement, there must be some catalyst. In many cases, the roots of a movement can be traced back to a particular book or speech that inspired people to act. With this in mind, this poster advertises a series of lectures, ‘The Nomad Lectures’, which travel (nomadically) across a city. Each location means a new speaker, and each speaker covers a different topic that is of concern to someone seeking a more nomadic lifestyle. With any luck, this set of lectures will mark the beginning of a new Urban Nomadic movement.